LIV Golf announced a “strategic alliance” with the Dubai-based developmental MENA Tour on Wednesday in an effort to gain Official World Golf Ranking points for its upcoming events this week in Thailand and next week in Saudi Arabia.
On Thursday the OWGR released a statement announcing that neither LIV event would earn OWGR points and that, “A review of the changes to the MENA Tour is now underway by the OWGR.”
“Notice of these changes given by the MENA Tour is insufficient to allow OWGR to conduct the customary necessary review ahead of the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok (Oct. 7-9) and LIV Golf Invitational Jeddah (Oct. 14-16),” the statement read.
Early Friday, the MENA Tour responded with a statement of its own from commissioner David Spencer which questions the decision to not grant points to the LIV events, which are now sanctioned by the MENA Tour as part of the alliance.
“We have had various communications with OWGR since submitting our 2022-23 schedule, MENA Tour handbook, exemption criteria and our field ahead of our opening event of our new season which tees off (Friday)” the MENA Tour statement read. “None of this communication pointed towards any technical reason for the LIV Golf Invitational Bangkok to be treated any differently to any MENA Tour event, every one of which has received OWGR since we were accepted into the OWGR framework in 2016.”
Spencer noted the tour has followed the OWGR’s guidelines for its 2022-23 season and that, “not including our event in this week’s OWGR render the results and subsequent player movements inaccurate.”
Spencer ended the statement by reassuring his new MENA Tour members – all LIV players joined the MENA Tour as part of the alliance – that the tour “will continue to work tirelessly to resolve this situation with the OWGR.
“The MENA Tour’s guiding principle of maximising playing opportunities and pathways for our Members and growing the great game of golf remains unchanged.”